Building Soil with a Purpose

You might think of spring prep as weeding and removal of what shouldn't be in the garden. And although we do our fair share of that, we are more focused on what we put back into the ground. How do we build the soil up? What can we add that would be most beneficial to the land and the plants? Farmer Clay says, "Soil health is like our physical/emotional health; good intention doesn't get you very far. We are working intentionally to build the health of our soils through testing, composting, applying appropriate organic fertilizers, cover-cropping and field rotation. We have an opportunity to make the farm's soils more robust to help support growing herbs full of vitality."

The first planting of 2024 will begin soon and we are prepping the fields for Milk Thistle, a flagship plant that we have grown since the inception of Oregon's Wild Harvest. Resilient and drought-tolerant with its own rugged personality, it survives unpredictable spring days that can bring rain, wind, sun and snow. Similarly, farmers are constantly adapting to ever-changing conditions and take notes from nature. Each year is a pleasure to watch unfold.